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[R_thanatos]

Just got the ^PLAT .. i've spend 2 months with this game and i enjoyed every minute of it ( except those 2 hours farming monsters to get the 1000 victory trophy )

So ready for Cold steel 2. Gonna play it DAY0

Playtime : 102:53:37

 

[Rin Tohsaka]

Finally finished after 80 hours...

 

[twisted h3art]

Finished the game after 108 hours and I gotta say the game is GREAT! I'm so hyped for the second one.

 

[Lusankya]

Also finished my first run today, damn I can't wait for the second chapter. Although, I guess CS2 will also have an open end, ebcause it's a trilogy, right?

Spoiler

And why couldn't they at least explain Crow's motive in the first game? I want to know so bad. Also I hope he doesn't just become all "yeah I just fake the friendship all along, muhaha", but instead is a villain to like.

Btw. the ending music would have been a better fit for their concert than the actual music.

 

[zakujanai]

So I finish chapter 6 and suddenly it turns into Xenogears disc 2? Worst thing about it was that

Spoiler

it didn't carry on past the school festival.

 

[Cqef]

Spoiler

And why couldn't they at least explain Crow's motive in the first game? I want to know so bad.

Spoiler

We don't know all the details yet, but his motive *is* kinda revealed right after he shot the chancellor. Claire definitely says that he's from the Jurai Special Economic Zone, which was annexed by the Empire 8 years prior.

 

[Lusankya]

Spoiler

We don't know all the details yet, but his motive *is* kinda revealed right after he shot the chancellor. Claire definitely says that he's from the Jurai Special Economic Zone, which was annexed by the Empire 8 years prior.

Do we learn more about this in other Legend of Heroes games? Because I didn't even know what that is.

 

[Gu4n]

Do we learn more about this in other Legend of Heroes games? Because I didn't even know what that is.

And the answer is:

Spoiler

yes, in Cold Steel II.

 

[Corpekata]

Early Chapter 4 spoilers:

Spoiler

Is this game really doing the whole adopted siblings, and one of them is in love with the other thing with Elise? At least it doesn't seem like it'll end up getting them together given how minor of a character she appears to be. But like you have the other characters that are like "I can't believe he can't tell" like this weird setup is so incredibly common and normal. I mean, you already had two games focused on this sort of relationship. It mostly worked there, but at this point it's looking more like a fetish than anything else.

 

[A.E Suggs]

So we have any numbers for this game? I heard it pre-ordered well so that's a good thing. At the very least I don't think the game bombed like SC.

 

[Cqef]

Do we learn more about this in other Legend of Heroes games? Because I didn't even know what that is.

And the answer is:

Spoiler

yes, in Cold Steel II.

Spoiler

What's also interesting to note is that during chapter 5's field study, Crow was in Group B. Group A went to Legram, but do you remember where Group B went? The Jurai SEZ. And once both groups gathered at Garrelia Fortress, when you talk to Crow, his bitterness is quite apparent, even interrupting Machias who was reporting how apparently happy the population was.

 

[omgfloofy]

So we have any numbers for this game? I heard it pre-ordered well so that's a good thing. At the very least I don't think the game bombed like SC.

Nothing from XSEED, no. They generally don't release their numbers.

 

[Lusankya]

Spoiler

What's also interesting to note is that during chapter 5's field study, Crow was in Group B. Group A went to Legram, but do you remember where Group B went? The Jurai SEZ. And once both groups gathered at Garrelia Fortress, when you talk to Crow, his bitterness is quite apparent, even interrupting Machias who was reporting how apparently happy the population was.

Thanks for the answers guys. I will replay the game for the trophies anyway, but I also want to re-read some stuff I apparently missed the first time.

 

[adz2ka]

I'm up to the field study part in Chapter 6

How long have I get left if I play at pace?

Partially getting burned out playing this, plus I've put this up for sale on Amazon

 

[Famassu]

I'm up to the field study part in Chapter 6

How long have I get left if I play at pace?

Partially getting burned out playing this, plus I've put this up for sale on Amazon

Depends. If you just started the field study of Chapter 6, I don't think I'm too off the mark if I say 15-20+ hours if you are aiming to do everything and can keep up a decent pace without getting stuck anywhere, even more if you take your time & talk to NPCs a lot etc.. Maybe 5-10 hours less if you just rush through, skipping some more mundane dialogue & side quests.

 

[Thud]

I think I'm saving this game for when Cold Steel II gets released. Or is that game the same as Cold Steel, leaving things unfinished in the end?

Before that, better finish Trails in the Sky SC first .

 

[Famassu]

I think I'm saving this game for when Cold Steel II gets released. Or is that game the same as Cold Steel, leaving things unfinished in the end?

Before that, better finish Trails in the Sky SC first .

The impression I've gotten is that Cold Steel II does conclude certain things begun in the first game and doesn't necessarily end in the kind of cliffhanger Cold Steel I does, which leaves you right in the middle of dramatic things happening, but overall is not quite as conclusive an ending to the Cold Steel saga as SC is to the storyline begun in TitS FC, leaving things more open for another game in Erebonia.

I mean, there's surely a reason why XSeed felt confident in releasing a Cold Steel Collector's Edition box that only has room the first two games. I assume that means the first two games do tell a somewhat self-contained story arc, even if maybe the larger conflict isn't completely resolved.

If you can hold yourself from playing the first game, it's not a bad idea to wait until CSII is closer to release before playing the game (though the first game can easily take 70-80 hours to complete just once, so time its playthrough accordingly). Not sure if it'd then be wise to still wait even longer until Cold Steel III before playing 1 & 2. I & II have so much content combined that you'll probably burn out trying to play three Kiseki games in a row. Probably good to have SOME space between the playthroughs of the Cold Steel games, just so that you aren't sick of it all by the time you get to CSIII.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Crow was well written and tons of fun

I would have preferred him as the main character over Rean in a heartbeat.

Rean was doomed to be fucking stupid fot some reason which is a shame since he has at least a couple endearing character moments and quirks

Word to devs. Your main characters are allowed to be characters. Especially if you arent making them simply a customized player avatar

 

[YianGaruga]

Started my NG+ run for the platinum, damn this game is fast when you skip everything optional. Got to chapter 4 in just a few hours. I wonder how a NG speedrun of the game would look like.

 

[Gu4n]

The impression I've gotten is that Cold Steel II does conclude certain things begun in the first game and doesn't necessarily end in the kind of cliffhanger Cold Steel I does, which leaves you right in the middle of dramatic things happening, but overall is not quite as conclusive an ending to the Cold Steel saga as SC is to the storyline begun in TitS FC, leaving things more open for another game in Erebonia.

I mean, there's surely a reason why XSeed felt confident in releasing a Cold Steel Collector's Edition box that only has room the first two games. I assume that means the first two games do tell a somewhat self-contained story arc, even if maybe the larger conflict isn't completely resolved.

If you can hold yourself from playing the first game, it's not a bad idea to wait until CSII is closer to release before playing the game (though the first game can easily take 70-80 hours to complete just once, so time its playthrough accordingly). Not sure if it'd then be wise to still wait even longer until Cold Steel III before playing 1 & 2. I & II have so much content combined that you'll probably burn out trying to play three Kiseki games in a row. Probably good to have SOME space between the playthroughs of the Cold Steel games, just so that you aren't sick of it all by the time you get to CSIII.

People tend to compare the Cold Steel arc to the Sky arc -- which makes sense, of course -- especially considering the first Cold Steel's similarities to FC, with the cliffhanger and all. But the similarities don't go beyond that; Cold Steel II is unlike any other game in the series. It doesn't have a proper chapter structure like SC, it doesn't (obviously) conclude the arc like SC did and Falcom wasn't kidding when they called it the 'game changer' for the series.

Rumour has it that Cold Steel I and II were originally intended to be one game that ended up being split because it didn't fit on the Vita cartridge, which is evident in the actual progression of the overall narrative in Cold Steel II. In terms of in-game length, it's the shortest game in the series (whereas Cold Steel was a six month period) and, despite a lot happens, it almost feels like Cold Steel's lost chapter padded with extra content.

And yet it's so, so good.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

The impression I've gotten is that Cold Steel II does conclude certain things begun in the first game and doesn't necessarily end in the kind of cliffhanger Cold Steel I does, which leaves you right in the middle of dramatic things happening, but overall is not quite as conclusive an ending to the Cold Steel saga as SC is to the storyline begun in TitS FC, leaving things more open for another game in Erebonia.

I mean, there's surely a reason why XSeed felt confident in releasing a Cold Steel Collector's Edition box that only has room the first two games. I assume that means the first two games do tell a somewhat self-contained story arc, even if maybe the larger conflict isn't completely resolved.

If you can hold yourself from playing the first game, it's not a bad idea to wait until CSII is closer to release before playing the game (though the first game can easily take 70-80 hours to complete just once, so time its playthrough accordingly). Not sure if it'd then be wise to still wait even longer until Cold Steel III before playing 1 & 2. I & II have so much content combined that you'll probably burn out trying to play three Kiseki games in a row. Probably good to have SOME space between the playthroughs of the Cold Steel games, just so that you aren't sick of it all by the time you get to CSIII.

I can def agree with burning yourself out playing 3 Trails games in a role. I played Cold Steel, FC back to back within a month. I started SC but that has been on a slow play.

 

[Thud]

Thanks for the reactions! I'll hold off on Cold Steel for a while. This will also give me time to play some other games hehe.

 

[mhayes86]

Finally finished after 80 hours...

Only 80? It took me 106 hours, and I thought I was playing pretty casually. I was determined to finish the game in time for Fire Emblem Fates, so I was trying my damnedest to rush through the rest of the game last week. I finally finished it on Saturday morning.

The game was a very slow burn for me, but I really enjoyed it and loved how the story was picking up around the last couple of chapters. Like TitS, the ending left me excited for the sequel.

 

[Dragonslayer_023]

Done everything else there is to do, and still got 5 hours to go for the 100 hour trophy. Time to play the waiting game!

 

[Psxphile]

Final Chapter spoiler: I feel like the

Spoiler

festival's climax would have a better effect on the player if they knew what the lyrics for that last song were. Crow called it a song "everyone already knows the lyrics to", implying it has actual in-canon presence and isn't just a repeat of a song that played during TitS SC's end credits. And it seems to have special significance to the audience since some of them were right there singing along with the band.

 

[Shahed]

Only 80? It took me 106 hours, and I thought I was playing pretty casually. I was determined to finish the game in time for Fire Emblem Fates, so I was trying my damnedest to rush through the rest of the game last week. I finally finished it on Saturday morning.

The game was a very slow burn for me, but I really enjoyed it and loved how the story was picking up around the last couple of chapters. Like TitS, the ending left me excited for the sequel.

I finished my second playthrough on Nightmare at 83 getting max AP second time around. I spent the rest of time fighting battles for the 1000 trophy and then left the game to run until 100 hours

Some people just play at different paces. Do you talk to everyone after each segment? I do talk to some people again if I feel like it, but I didn't always. Also once I'd explored an area once, I then rushed through it and/or used fast travel.

 

[R_thanatos]

Started my NG+ run for the platinum, damn this game is fast when you skip everything optional. Got to chapter 4 in just a few hours. I wonder how a NG speedrun of the game would look like.

Don't forget you have to do 40 quest in order to get that medal for the last quartz

 

[A.E Suggs]

Nothing from XSEED, no. They generally don't release their numbers.

Oh really? But do they at least let people know when a game does well. I thought for sure they let people know that that ninja game something kagura was doing ok sells wise. Thought that maybe they'd at least let us know that.

We are getting CS2 regardless so I guess I don't really care.

 

[YianGaruga]

Don't forget you have to do 40 quest in order to get that medal for the last quartz

...reading a guide beforehand would have been the smart thing to do. Thanks haha

I think I can still salvage it though. It's just 40 quests, total? Basically the numbers for Field Study tasks and Extracurricular Activities displayed on the overall achievements page added together?

 

[Thoraxes]

Left a lot of idling happen cause I was doing this while I did other things for my platinum run, but I did it! Can't wait to do my third playthrough before Cold Steel II comes out. Really fun game that I can't get enough of! Actual playtime was closer to about 120 hours or so. I ended up watching more cutscenes than I thought I would for my Nightmare playthrough (which was suuuuuuper easy on NG+)

 

[Augemitbutter]

Crow was well written and tons of fun

I would have preferred him as the main character over Rean in a heartbeat.

Rean was doomed to be fucking stupid fot some reason which is a shame since he has at least a couple endearing character moments and quirks

Word to devs. Your main characters are allowed to be characters. Especially if you arent making them simply a customized player avatar

this.

 

[R_thanatos]

...reading a guide beforehand would have been the smart thing to do. Thanks haha

I think I can still salvage it though. It's just 40 quests, total? Basically the numbers for Field Study tasks and Extracurricular Activities displayed on the overall achievements page added together?

Yes
if you've done only the required quests , you can start at chapter 4 and still get the 40 quests numbers by chapter 7

 

[YianGaruga]

Yes
if you've done only the required quests , you can start at chapter 4 and still get the 40 quests numbers by chapter 7

luckily I have a save at the end of CH 3

Thanks again, I assumed all the requirements for the medals carried over

 

[R_thanatos]

luckily I have a save at the end of CH 3

Thanks again, I assumed all the requirements for the medals carried over

No worries I was in the same situation 2 weeks ago.
You should have enough during chapter6 field study and will be able to talk to the teacher at the start of chapter 7 and get the remaining medals at that point

 

[DrROBschiz]

this.

Fuck glad I wasnt the only one to think this

I mean I went on a tirade in the Page 50's or so of this topic but my opinion holds even more true now that I have finished the game

 

[omgfloofy]

I've said this before, I'll say it again. I think it's premature to fully make your judgments on Rean, especially as you've only seen the first half of his story. Things about him will change in CS2.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I've said this before, I'll say it again. I think it's premature to fully make your judgments on Rean, especially as you've only seen the first half of his story. Things about him will change in CS2.

I spent an 80 hour game with him

Sure he has room to change... so I hope you are right when I get through Cold Steel 2

I remain skeptical that Ill ever truly love his character

A lot of his best moments are hidden in missable cutscenes

 

[Famassu]

Saying Rean has no personality is about as wrong as you can get. He has a pretty distinct personality & even several small quirks that separate him from other somewhat similar characters in fiction. Just so happens YOU don't personally like such a personality, doesn't mean he doesn't have one.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Saying Rean has no personality is about as wrong as you can get. He has a pretty distinct personality & even several small quirks that separate him from other somewhat similar characters in fiction. Just so happens YOU don't personally like such a personality, doesn't mean he doesn't have one.

Well then you are right. I dont like his personality. At all

Should we reopen this topic? lol

I suppose I have more to add now that I have finished the game finally

 

[Gu4n]

I personally like Rean better than Estelle (sue me), but that was only during Cold Steel II.

The focus of Cold Steel I is mostly on Rean's classmates and learning about their backgrounds. In Cold Steel II, he himself claims the spotlight in the most amazing fashion and had me stand up from the couch because I couldn't contain my excitement. It's really good and you immediately know what scene I'm talking about when you get there yourself.

 

[ricen-beans]

So I just started this. Can some one tell me what ACC means in your stats?

Or is there a screen somewhere that explains what all the stats are? Most are self explanatory but others I really don't know what they mean. Lol

 

[DrROBschiz]

I personally like Rean better than Estelle (sue me), but that was only during Cold Steel II.

The focus of Cold Steel I is mostly on Rean's classmates and learning about their backgrounds. In Cold Steel II, he himself claims the spotlight in the most amazing fashion and had me stand up from the couch because I couldn't contain my excitement. It's really good and you immediately know what scene I'm talking about when you get there yourself.

Im going to hold you to this

Claiming he can top Estelle as a main character? Thats a bold move cotton

 

[omgfloofy]

Case in point with Estelle being brought up:

Look at Estelle in FC vs SC. She's a much more mature and level headed character by the end of SC, whereas in FC she's still way more 'brains rattling around in her head somewhere.'

Falcom's playing the 'long con' with these games. How much time did you spend with Estelle in FC? And that still wasn't enough for her character development.

 

[Stuart444]

I personally like Rean better than Estelle (sue me), but that was only during Cold Steel II.

The focus of Cold Steel I is mostly on Rean's classmates and learning about their backgrounds. In Cold Steel II, he himself claims the spotlight in the most amazing fashion and had me stand up from the couch because I couldn't contain my excitement. It's really good and you immediately know what scene I'm talking about when you get there yourself.

Considering I like him a lot already in CSI, I can't wait to see what happens to him in CSII <3

 

[DrROBschiz]

Case in point with Estelle being brought up:

Look at Estelle in FC vs SC. She's a much more mature and level headed character by the end of SC, whereas in FC she's still way more 'brains rattling around in her head somewhere.'

Falcom's playing the 'long con' with these games. How much time did you spend with Estelle in FC? And that still wasn't enough for her character development.

The difference being I fell in love with her after the first hour and she was never not endearing. Always true to character. You grew along with her. Everything about how she was written was relateable, fun and made sense.

And she would even surprise me throughout the course of the entire story

Rean on the other hand.... I dont know if its his fault or the fault of the plot and structure surrounding him. But I would consistently love and hate him and ultimately be more disappointed than anything else

But yeah its not entirely fair to hate on him without getting the full story but dayum was Cold Steel below the standard set by TITS... at least in my opinion

Not sure what to blame for that

 

[Shahed]

I much preferred Estelle in FC compared to Rean in CS. If you include her SC version then she's leagues better than Rean. I liked her character and general quirks. She was fun while Rean just seemed so tame and boring.

She has had an extra game of development though so here's hoping Rean improves

So I just started this. Can some one tell me what ACC means in your stats?

Or is there a screen somewhere that explains what all the stats are? Most are self explanatory but others I really don't know what they mean. Lol

Your accuracy. 0 means standard. 50 means 50% higher than normal, 100 meanw double your hit rate and you can even go above 100. Different enemies have different evasion rates so 100 doesn't guarantee a hit, just increases your chances relative to your normal hit rate.

I wouldn't worry too much though. An awesome accessory you get later adds +50% Acc among a bunch of other stuff so I'd recommend one for each character eventually. That's enough Acc for everything.

 

[omgfloofy]

But yeah its not entirely fair to hate on him without getting the full story but dayum was Cold Steel below the standard set by TITS... at least in my opinion

A bunch of us were requested to make lists of the Kiseki games we played in terms of our favorites. If you look at them, Cold Steel was almost always one of the bottom two of every one of them. Conversely, Cold Steel II was near the top of every list.

There's a really big difference in the two games. Cold Steel is even *strange* for a Kiseki game because it breaks the series methods and storytelling style a lot.

I think Cold Steel was a chance to learn and love the class as a whole, and Cold Steel II is your chance to really delve into Rean himself.

 

[ricen-beans]

Your accuracy. 0 means standard. 50 means 50% higher than normal, 100 meanw double your hit rate and you can even go above 100. Different enemies have different evasion rates so 100 doesn't guarantee a hit, just increases your chances relative to your normal hit rate.

I wouldn't worry too much though. An awesome accessory you get later adds +50% Acc among a bunch of other stuff so I'd recommend one for each character eventually. That's enough Acc for everything.

Makes sense. So what does DEX mean then and what does it do?

 

[DrROBschiz]

A bunch of us were requested to make lists of the Kiseki games we played in terms of our favorites. If you look at them, Cold Steel was almost always one of the bottom two of every one of them. Conversely, Cold Steel II was near the top of every list.

There's a really big difference in the two games. Cold Steel is even *strange* for a Kiseki game because it breaks the series methods and storytelling style a lot.

I think Cold Steel was a chance to learn and love the class as a whole, and Cold Steel II is your chance to really delve into Rean himself.

That seems to be the consensus

I think the plot of CS1 hurt the characters more than the characters themselves. Tits starts with an average group with humble beginnings that go on a world trotting odyssey.

Cold Steel shows Secret power/chosen one MC into a Persona Aped school setting and has the amazing world we love on the outside and mixed up mess of things going on inside

Its so complex I have a hard time sorting out my feelings on it

 

[Shahed]

Makes sense. So what does DEX mean then and what does it do?

I can't remember that one but I think it relates to accuracy in some way. Top of my head if you go Notes>Help>Combat there should be an explanation of stats there somewhere. Can't say I ever noticed DEX really. Apart from basics like STR/ATS and SPD, the only other one I noticed was Evade since it's so amazingly useful when combined with Insight.

That seems to be the consensus

I think the plot of CS1 hurt the characters more than the characters themselves. Tits starts with an average group with humble beginnings that go on a world trotting odyssey.

Cold Steel shows Secret power/chosen one MC into a Persona Aped school setting and has the amazing world we love on the outside and mixed up mess of things going on inside

Its so complex I have a hard time sorting out my feelings on it

I have similar feelings about Cold Steel compared to Sky. So much of this game felt like it was there to prop up the next game while Cold Steel 1 takes the hit. Thankfully from various impressions I've gotten Cold Steel II seems like it's a drastically better game all around and the payoffs in the 2nd game are more than worth it.